Reflection #2: Eyes in the Back of Your Head: Observing Student Actions== From a seat in the rear of the room, observe your students and take notes on what they are doing while the teacher is presenting in the front of the room, while they are supposed to be taking notes, doing seatwork, and/or when they are working in the lab. Look closely at each student for a range of behaviors, and resist the temptation on only see what you expect. Note especially what is happening furthest from the teacher.
What strategies are used by your CT to encourage students to attend and engage? Watch carefully how your CT moves around the room. Draw a map of the classroom and sketch a path showing (approximately) this movement.
How important is student engagement to your view of how you will teach? What strategies will you employ to encourage student engagement?
Observation: At the beginning of class my CT reviewed displacement. While she was doing that some of the students in the back were talking. Then my CT collected the homework that was do that day by going to each student and marking down whether or not they did their homework in her grade book. As she was walking around some of the students were talking and she was giving feedback about the lack of homework that was completed by the students. She reminded them that not doing their homework could decrease their grade and discussed how the points are earned for the homework and how the points affected their grade as she proceeded to finish marking the homework down. Next they did an activity which entailed writing down a very descriptive set of directions from their house to a place and creating a map of the directions. The students were instructed that they could brainstorm with their friends. Computers were available to Google map for street names. As the students were completing this activity my CT walked around the room and answered questions and provided clarification. She showed the students an acceptable piece of work that one student had completed. When there was five minutes of class time left my CT explained that those whom finished the activity before the bell could hand it in and those who did not could finish it for homework.
Reflection:
I noticed when the teacher began the class there were students in the back of the room talking and not listening at all. The teacher did not do much at first to make sure they were engaged and listening. When she started the activity the students were talking because they were sort of working together because of the brainstorming aspect of the activity. My CT kept walking up and down the main aisle of the room and checking to make sure the students were doing their work. There were still some students who would be focusing more on talking at movements and usually the proximity of the teacher cause them to redirect themselves back on task.
In my view of teaching student engagement and attendance is vital. When students are not engaged they are not motivated to learn. I fou can find a way to make the material seem interesting to them you may get their attention and make them want to know more about the information being learned. It is when students are interested that learning really occurs and is continuous. If the students are not attending then they only have the book to get them by and they may miss assignments. Poor attendance can negatively impact a students grade in a large way and very quickly. I plan to engage the students by trying to make the material relevant to them and making the material as hands on as possible. I hope to keep student attendance up by maintaining open lines of communication with the parents of my students and with the students themselves.
From a seat in the rear of the room, observe your students and take notes on what they are doing while the teacher is presenting in the front of the room, while they are supposed to be taking notes, doing seatwork, and/or when they are working in the lab. Look closely at each student for a range of behaviors, and resist the temptation on only see what you expect. Note especially what is happening furthest from the teacher.
What strategies are used by your CT to encourage students to attend and engage? Watch carefully how your CT moves around the room. Draw a map of the classroom and sketch a path showing (approximately) this movement.
How important is student engagement to your view of how you will teach? What strategies will you employ to encourage student engagement?
Observation:
At the beginning of class my CT reviewed displacement. While she was doing that some of the students in the back were talking. Then my CT collected the homework that was do that day by going to each student and marking down whether or not they did their homework in her grade book. As she was walking around some of the students were talking and she was giving feedback about the lack of homework that was completed by the students. She reminded them that not doing their homework could decrease their grade and discussed how the points are earned for the homework and how the points affected their grade as she proceeded to finish marking the homework down. Next they did an activity which entailed writing down a very descriptive set of directions from their house to a place and creating a map of the directions. The students were instructed that they could brainstorm with their friends. Computers were available to Google map for street names. As the students were completing this activity my CT walked around the room and answered questions and provided clarification. She showed the students an acceptable piece of work that one student had completed. When there was five minutes of class time left my CT explained that those whom finished the activity before the bell could hand it in and those who did not could finish it for homework.
Reflection:
I noticed when the teacher began the class there were students in the back of the room talking and not listening at all. The teacher did not do much at first to make sure they were engaged and listening. When she started the activity the students were talking because they were sort of working together because of the brainstorming aspect of the activity. My CT kept walking up and down the main aisle of the room and checking to make sure the students were doing their work. There were still some students who would be focusing more on talking at movements and usually the proximity of the teacher cause them to redirect themselves back on task.
In my view of teaching student engagement and attendance is vital. When students are not engaged they are not motivated to learn. I fou can find a way to make the material seem interesting to them you may get their attention and make them want to know more about the information being learned. It is when students are interested that learning really occurs and is continuous. If the students are not attending then they only have the book to get them by and they may miss assignments. Poor attendance can negatively impact a students grade in a large way and very quickly. I plan to engage the students by trying to make the material relevant to them and making the material as hands on as possible. I hope to keep student attendance up by maintaining open lines of communication with the parents of my students and with the students themselves.